wilson



w. H. WlLS0N.' pnooucnow OF HIGH TENSION DISCHARGES. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. I914. 1,320,300, Patented Oct. 28,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.'

W. H. WILSON. PRODUCTION OF HIGH TENSION DISCHARGES.

APPL|CAT|0N FILED JUNE 1. 1914.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEEI 2.

E my

WILLIAM. HAMILTON WILSON, or NORBITON, ENGLANn.

I ifv EH PRODUCTION OF HIGH-TENSION DISCHARG-ES,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HAMILTON IVILsoN, Britain, residing at 12 Cobham road, Norblton, in the county of Surrey,'England, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Production of High-Tension Discharges,

- of which the following is a specification.

. charges.

fer transformer, and its rate of governed by the capacity and This the utilization of condensers in apparatus for the production of high tension dls- In one aspect, ered with reference to its application to existing types of rests in controlling the rate of discharge of the-condenser by including it in the high tension circuit. of a buffer transformer, through which its en.- ergy; is conveyed to the devices to which in older arrangements the condenser was directly-connected. v

But the invention particularly lends ltself to thevdevelopment of certain new types of apparatus, in which the charge'of a condenser is used to supplement the'supply from a prime source, such as a battery, to a high tension transformer. In these forms of apparatus the condenser is stlll included in an. oscillatory circuit made up of itself and, say, the high tension winding of-a bufdischar'ge is effective inductance of'this circuit.

When so used the condenser discharge in oscillating in the condenser circuit, superposes an oscillatory current upon that supplied froln the main source, so causing the resultant current. to be at'times zero'or negative in value. Where a direct current yfi'im c source is employed advantage may be,taken of this effect by causing disconnection from" the prime sourceto occur when the resultantxcurrent has a small or a negative value so thatsparking is avoided.

, Examples of embodiments of the inyen 'tion are illustrated by diagrams of -connec'- tions in the accompanyingdraWings. I

Figures l--7 show a condenser operating throughia' bufi'er transformer to supplement a prime source in supplying a high tension transformer, e

Specification of Letters Patent.

a subject of the King of Great invention 'relates to improvements in viz., when specially considapparatus, the invention what is hereinafter termed the battery 3.

.nected to a condense havethe natural frequency of the buffer paratus is substantially'as follows.

the simple purposes.

Fig.8 shows an apparatus in which the {whole ofthe supply to a high tension transformer is by way of the tory circuit. 1 A

l igs. 9, 9 10 and 11 are instances of the general use of a condenser combined with a buffer transformer in place of a simple condenser.

The'arrangement of Fig. 1 i-s typical of condenser oscillathe embodiment of the invention 1n certain new forms of apparatus in which the condenser is used to supplement the discharge of the battery or other prime source through a high tension transformer for the purpose of producing high te sion discharges. 1

and 2 are the high and ow tension windings of the transformer to be supplied. The former may be connected to any work circuit, for instance to a wireless telegraphic or'a Rontgen ray apparatus. The primary winding 2-is .joined across the battery 3 in series with an interrupter4 preferably of a rotary type and also in series with the pri-' maryor low tension winding 5 of a'second transformer hereinafter referred to as the buffer transformer. The secondary 60f this buffer transformer has connected across it the condenser 7, the charge *of Which is to be employed to supplement the current from The secondary winding 6 and condenser 7 form together an oscillatory circuit the frequency of which may, for instance, be from fifty to onehundred; but thisis designed according to the fre-. guencyv of discharge required, and therefore ratenteaoet. 28, acre. Application filed June 1,1914. Serial No. 842,270. l

1n some cases may exceed six hundred.

When for the purposes of wireless telegra hy the high tension transformer is conr, it is'convenient to transformer secondary circuit the same as sion transformer. The operation of'this When the contact maker 4 completes the circuit of the battery 3 through the Windings 2 and 5 the condenser 7 is charged as the. current rises in an oscillatory manner In the primary-winding 5. Upon the interruption ofthe'primary circuit by the interrupter 4 this charge continues to oscillate in the cirof the apparatus. Apparatus. connected as shown in Fig. 2 has been employedior gas lighting, but with a simple vibratory intercuit 6,7 but now at a rate dependent on the natural frequency of the circuit. The interrupter 4 presentlyi closes the primary circuit a second time. he dimensions of the interrupte'r,

tion occurs when the condenser 7 is fully charged preferably for the first time in the opposite direction to its initial charge. The

V discharge of the condenser through the secondarywinding 6. then .produces an electro- V motive force in the primary winding 5 denser'7, or rather the oscillatory circuit 6,. 7 superposes upon the current of the prime which assists that of the prime source 3 in passing current through the primary 2 of the high tension transformer. It is this current which products the desired high ten sion secondary discharge in the winding 1.

After this discharge has taken place, the

condenser becomes re oharged again to the same sign as at first, by the E. M. F. induced in the pr1mary circuit as its magnetic fluxes fall, thisE. M. F. being in the same direction as that OfNthB supply.

It will be noted that in efiect the con tshouldbe such that the primary circuit is broken whenthe primary current (due to the battery and the superposed oscillatory E. M; F.) is zero or a minimum, which minimum may preferably be negative, that is to say of opposite sign to the normal current from the battery. This minimum-current is reached approximately when the condenser 7 is charged to the maximum potential it attains before reversal of the sign oi" its voltage. At this time the' energy stored inductively in the primary circuit is aminimum, and thereforedoes not-produce spark- 1 ing during. interruption. v A

-It may be "noted that. the charge given to I the condenser is not solely depen ent on the voltage of the source of thesupply and the ratio of transformation of the'bufler transformer; the-condenser also ultimately re- I ceives before interruption energy which has been stored magnetically in the core of high tension transformer, or, possibly, of

. the butter transformer.

. It is apparent that the condenser 7 need pot operate upon the primary circuit through a two-coil transformer. In Fig.2

its speed, andthe setting of its; brushes, should be such that this comple-" circuit and so forth.

When apparatus -such illustrated in riation of the spark the , high tension transformer, which inductance forms in. eiiect an auto-transformer. It must be remembered that'the timingof the contact maker in the manner already described is essential to the properworking rupter in place of the timed contact maker 4; but obv ously without the timing de-' current to zero before interruption.

It may here'be: noted thatin the figures 'thus far described as in those "about to 'be described, the introduction of tapping scribed it is impossibleto secure the .supplementlng of the supply by .the condenser" dlscharge or the reduction ofthe supply points upon the various windings of the transformers is generally possible for the purpose of varying the ratio'of transformaf tion or the amount of inductance in either Figs. 1 and 2 is required to supply varying amounts ofpower, as, fofi instance, may be necessary in its applicati'on'to wireless telegraphic apparatus, it may conveniently be modified as shown in Fig. 3. The secondary circuit 1 of the'high tension transformer is there indicated as connected throughsmall spark gaps to a-mairi spark ti 10 included in the closed circui 11 of t e wireless; ap-y,

sired fashions As illustrated, other condensers 13, 14 are provided "which may be brought into circuit-in parallel-with. the condenser 12 by means of a switchl5. This The secondary 6 of the buffer variation in the capacity of .the fsecondary ratherout of synchronisniQwi-ththe'-interduced in the primary circuit by'the disdelivered to the high tension trans timer may be varied without substantial dlmmuwhole.' y

It will at once be apparent that :when vafrequency is not objeci tionable the same result could be brought about withoutvariation of thecapacity if the. speed ofthe interrupter were made var. riable.

A third method of securing such adjustment appears in Fig. 4 'wherea variable in- .ductance 16 is shown in the primary circuit .circuitof the buffer transformer-will clearly put this circuit more or less'outfoftune or rupterr' The result is that theE. M. F in-v charge of the condenser may be made-tea greater or less extent eflectlve in supple-- menting the'prime source, and'sothe wer'115 'tion in the efliciency of the'apparatus as -a inverse'E. M. F. should be reduced to as small a value as possible. ,This is conveniently done bythe arrangement of Fig. b

5. An additional brush is provided upon the contact maker, the function-of which is to short-circuit the primary winding 2 of the high tension transformer at a suitable interval after connection to the mains so that practically no back E. M; F. may be in ected into the secondary circuit 1 which is indicated as closed tube 17. n I

This arrangement may upon a vacuum combined with'that of Fig.4, the inductance 16 then serving to store a certain proportion of energy in place of that which would have been stored by the high tension primary now shortcircuited.

When the load upon the secondary of the high tension transformer is very var able a little trouble may be occasioned by the energy which is accumulated in the core of thehigh tension trans-former. Fig. 6 provides for obviating this by connecting nto the oscillatory circuit an additional winding 18 upon the core of the high tension transformer by which means the energystored in. this'core can be directly taken up into the oscillatory circuit.

Fig. 7 shows another variation of. the,

apparatus for its application to wireless telegraphy. An inductance 19 not upon the stantially analogous with Fig. l'but differcore of the high tension transformer can be connected in parallel with the primary of the high tension transformer by means of a key 20 so bringing about a'variation in the power transmitted to the secondary circuit of the high tension transformer and thence to the antenna of the wireless apparatus.

Fig. 8 is a simple form of apparatus subing in the fact-that all the energy of the prime source reaches the-hightension transformer by way of the oscillatory circuit. For in this instance the primary winding 21 of thehigh tension transformer is included in the oscillatory circuit with the secondary winding 22 of the buffer transformer and of its condenser 23. The primary circuit'connected with the supply contains only the primary winding 24 of the buffer transformer and the interrupter 25.

In this case the discharge of the condenser takes placedirectly through the priadvaiitageously :be

. the simplest connected from to the primary winding of the high. tension is connected with the high tension mary of the high tension transformer and issupplemented by theE. M. F. induced in the secondary of the buffer transformer by the prime source. of the condenser is still being controlled by means of an oscillatorv circuit, but the frequency ofjthis differs from its natural fre- The rate of discharge I quency inasmuch as its effective inductance ing an oscillatory circuit froinwhich'energy is transferred. apparatus to be notedthat this control frequency will depend upon, and can be varied. by varying, the-coupling of "the buffer transformer. In case the condenser is charged directly from a prime. source and then by means of a rotary contact or the like disthe source and connected at the desired rate to the transformer.

Wire that can onda'ry of such is limited by Now the number of turns of be provided upon the secahigh tension transformer practical considerations.

When this limit is reached further increase I of the ratio of transformation can only be effected by diminution of the number of turns in the primary. But if this diminu- -tion is carried very far the oscillatory. circuit made up of the condenser whose charge is to be utilized and the primary winding supplied. It is again to be has a high natural frequency, which is further increased by the reaction of the secondary current, and the rapid change of flux which ensues upon the discharge of the condenser causes very considerable losses in the core of the transformer no matter how finely it may be subdivided. Moreover,'on the connection of the condenser to the primary winding, the discharge current attains its maximum value in such an exceedingly brief space of time that, with a large amount of energy in cannot be made sparklesslyu According to the present invention therefore a condenser which it is desired to utilize in this manner transformer not directly but through a butter transformer the high tension winding of which. is in while the low tension winding. that is to say that with the fewer number of turns, is conthe circuit of the condenser the condenser, the connection nected across the primary of the high tension transformer. By this means the inductance in the circuit of the condenser is increased so as to increase the periodic time to such a value that the iron losses are not too important; while the ratio of transformation in the high tension transformer can be adjusted over a much wider range than was hitherto possible. The buffer transformer may conveniently have a transformation ratio of about 10:1, but this may be varied according to the particular purpose in view.

In another known arrangement, which is shown modified according to the present invention in Fig. 10, the condenser is charged by connection across the source of supply 33 in series with theprimary winding of the high tension transformer and an inductance 34 so that oscillations occur by which at least a portion of the energy initially stored in the inductance surges into the condenser and can then be rapidly discharged through the primary of the transformer by the completion of a contact at 35 which cuts out the inductance and source of supply. Here again the buffer transformer 5, 6 is substituted in the condenser circuit for the high tension transformer 36, 37 but with the same difference as before, viz., that it is the winding of the buffer transformer with the greater number of turns that is in the condenser circuit- In another known system, shown modified in Fig. 11, a condenser 38 is joined in parallel across an inductance 39 and the pri-.

mary of the high tension transformer joined in series, and this completely closed circuit is charged by connection to a prime source. It is then separated from the source and the energy allowed to oscillate, and when the I energy is in the condenser the inductance is short-circuited, these operations being performed by a contact maker *2. This may be modified in precisely similar fashion by sub stituting the buffer transformer 5, G, for the high tension transforn'ier 4:0, 11.

A similar result may be obtained by the use of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 9. The condenser 26 is connected across the high tension winding 27 of a transformer or auto-transformer, these being, as inclicated in Fig. 2 possible alternatives for all the systems herein described. The low tension winding 28 of the transformer is con.-

nected in series with the contact maker 29 across a prime source 3. By the aid of an additional brush on the contact maker 29 a portion of th transformer winding 28 is connected at a suitable interval after interruption across the primary 30 of the high tension transformer 30, 31. It is then desirable, particularly for X-ray work, to break the circuit of the primary of the high tension transformer the instant the condenser has discharged for the first time, so that no inverse E. M. F. is imposed upon it. As shown at a3 in Fig. 9 a condenser may be joined across the contact which the extra brush makes to lessen sparking which may arise'from the residue of energy left in the transformer cores.

As shown at H in Fig. 1 a condenser may similarly be joined across the contact maker in such apparatus as is first above described, so that sparking is not caused by the energy remaining in the core of the high tension transformer at times of light load.

- Where in any of the systems described an alternating current source of supply is used if it is desired that the high tension discharges shall be unidirectional, the contact maker must be designed to connect the apparatus in opposite directions to the mains in successive half waves of E. M. F.

It will be understood that the above are examples only of the application of the invention and do not delimit its whole scope.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for producing high tension discharges comprising a transformer, a supply circuit for'said transformer, an oscillatory circuit associated with said supply circuit so as to be capable of taking energy therefrom and restoring it, and an interrupter in said supply circuit timed in relation to the oscillatory circuit so that the energy stored in the oscillatory circuit supplements through its oscillation the supply of energy from the prime source to the transformer.

2 Apparatus for producing high tension discharges comprising a transformer, a supply circuit for said transforn'ier, an oscillatory circuit associated with said supply circuit so as to be capable of adding to the electromotive force therein, and an interrupter in said supply circuit timed to complete the circuit when the capacity of said oscillatory circuit is fullyv charged and about to discharge in direction to assist the supply.

3. Apparatus for the production of high tension discharges comprising a prime source, a condenser, means. for repeatedly charging said condenser from the prime source, a consuming device of low impedance, a buffer transforn'ier having a high tension winding of relatively large impedance and a low tension winding, connections between the high tension Winding of said transformer and said condenser, and connections between the low tension winding of said transformer and said consuming device.

4. Apparatus for the production of high tension discharges comprising a prime source, a condenser, a charging circuit associated with said source and said condenser so as to charge said condenser from said source in an oscillatory manner; an inter- I capacity of the condenser is fully charged and about to discharge in direction toassist mitting oscillation value.

r' p oscillatory I 8. Apparatus for. the production. of high.--

' winding of source, an oscillatory circuit "inductively the charging circuit.

5. Apparatus for the production of high tension discharges, comprising a condenser, a rime source, a charging circuit connected with said source and associated with said condenser so as to chargesaid condenser from said source in an oscillatory manner, a circuit connected withsaid condenser perof its charge, and an interrupter in said pendent of said oscillation circuit, adapted to, break said charging circuit when said condenser reaches its maximum voltage, and to reclose said circuit when the charge of said condenser again reaches its maximum after reversal of its sign due toitsoscillation. a 6. Apparatus for producing high tension discharges comprising a prime source, a high tension transformer, plying current from said source to said transformer, means for introducing an oscillatory current into said supply circuit, and means for interrupting the connection to said residing in the insource when the energy circuit is of small ductance of said supply 7. Apparatus for producing hightension discharges, com rising transformer, a supply circuit connecting said source with said high tension transformer, an I oscillatory circuit ply circuit, means in tiined relation with said oscillatory circuit for interrupting the supply circuit, and means ortion of energy transferred from said circuit to said transformer. i

tension discharges comprising in coinbma tion a source fsupply, former, connections between the primar said transformer and sad 'with said condenser an charging circuit but inde-' a circuit for suns..-

- connected to t a. prime source, a

adaptedto exchange energy with'said sup-' for varying the a high-tension transassociated with the circuit ofsaid source and the primary winding of said trans former and aninterrupter independent of said oscillatory circuit and timed to cut off said source when the latter is supplying the production of high I a high tension transformer, a bufier transformer connected with said condenser and said high tension transformer and forming oscillatory circuit, and an interrupter in the high-tension, transformer circuit independent ofthe connection of said condenser with the buffer transformer, adapted tooperate in timed relation with said oscillatory circuit.

a 10. In apparatus for the production of high-tension discharges, the combination of.

a prime source, 111

' its low-tension winding apted to supply said consuming device and a condenser connected to said rime source and to the high-tension winding of said transformer.

connected to and a 11. Apparatus for the production of highv tension discharges comprising .a' pr me source, a condenser, connections between said prime source and condenser, a timed interrupt'er in said connections, ahi hgtension transformer, and a step-up bu er transformer in circuit with said'condenser having its windin of smaller number of turns e'high tension transformer? 12." In apparatus for the production of high-tension. discharges, the combination of a source of supply, a high-tension transformer, an interrupter, means for connecting the primary winding of said transsome]? in an oscillatory circuit with said source of supply and means independent of said interrupter perm't'ting oscillat on of stored energy.

.name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

H. WILSON.

Witnesses A. E. Onnnn,

/ LiioNanoE; HAYNES.-

a consuming device embodymeans. for obtaining high tension, atransformer havin 

